Hanoi (VNA) – A study on how to develop the supporting industry in Vietnam suggested cooperation with Japan in the field, heard a seminar held in Hanoi on September 16.

The research, conducted by the Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM) and the Mitsubishi Research Institute, Inc. (MRI), analysed the current challenges encountered by the supporting industry in Vietnam and proposed cooperation policies between Vietnam and Japan in order to improve the sector.

According to Vice President of CIEM Nguyen Thi Tue Anh, there is a lack of connection among enterprises operating in the sector.

She also said the ability of Vietnamese enterprises to supply intermediate products and their possibility to enter the global supply chain are weak.

The country has a number of policies to support small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), however, the efficiency of the policy implementation is not high, she added.

At the event, experts from the MRI proposed the application of the model of public technology centre in Vietnam.

In the model, which has been successful in Japan, SMEs are able to use the centre’s services to do research and experiments.

According to the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO), the local content of products made by Japanese businesses in Vietnam was very low, reaching only 32.1 percent in 2015.-VNA